Subject: Inviting Girls Into the Lab: the Rise of Diversity Advocacy in STEM, 1950-Present

Refreshments served at 3:15 p.m.

One of the biggest transformations in modern science and engineering isn't a particular discovery, invention, or technique, but a revolution in assumptions about who can and should enter those disciplines. For years, American efforts focused on steering more young white men into science and engineering. By the mid-1950s, some scientists and engineers began programs to open opportunities to broader groups of youngsters. Their advocacy fostered wide-ranging campaigns to expand STEM opportunities for K-12 female students, which came to command major support from scientific and technical organizations, corporations, government, community groups, educators, even celebrities. This talk explores when, how, and why evolving ideas about gender roles, education, and the nature of STEM generated the modern movement for STEM diversity and outreach.